


Just glad to be back

by denyingmyselfalways



Series: How Tony Stark accidentally became a dad [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, Mentions of PTSD, Mentions of night terrors, Peter is finally not as oblivious to Tony caring, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony finally admitting how much Peter means to him, but we got here, it took us a while, some of the quotes that Peter remembers are from my other fics in the series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-26 04:35:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14992904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/denyingmyselfalways/pseuds/denyingmyselfalways
Summary: “Tony wouldn’t say that!” he denied, pulling away some to fidget with his shirt cuffs.“I mean, it took a while for me to get him to admit how much you meant to him, but he definitely meant it.”“He probably just said that to get you off his back about it!”“Peter,” May sighed, “As much as you admire Tony, I don’t think you know him as well as you think you do.”orA series of events that unfold right after Peter comes home to Aunt May as he begins to realize how much Tony actually cares about him.





	Just glad to be back

It would be an understatement to say that May was mad. She was _furious_. Not at Tony, because he’d done his best to make Peter stay behind, not at Peter because even if he’d been sitting at home on his couch he’d have disappeared, but at Thanos because who does that son of a –

“May! May. It’s okay. I’m home.”

And May just gave him this _look_ , that made him crack and he was crying again and why did he always have to break down in front of his parental figures, but May was crying now too so maybe it was okay. She wrapped him in her arms for the eleventh time that evening – Peter had kept track –  and they were shaking with their tears and it was messy and gross and so _nice_ to have someone hold him again even though it made him feel vulnerable. Because according to Tony Stark being vulnerable was okay as long as you had people around you to protect you.

Speaking of Tony, “So, I guess I’m an Avenger now...” he murmured into her shoulder.

May shuddered a sigh and pushed him to arm’s length. “Officially?”

“Officially.” Peter managed a small smile.

“I’m so...” her eyes became glassy again, “so proud of you Peter. So proud. And Tony is too. You know what he told me?”

Peter raised an eyebrow. “You talk to Tony?”

“Sometimes. We conspire together to embarrass you in public.”

_“May!”_

“What? It’s true! Anyway, he told me a few months ago, that even though it hadn’t been official at the time, he thought you’d always been Queen’s Avenger and that you didn’t need the title to be a hero. He said that he’d never be able to say this to your face because it would ruin his reputation, but you were one of the only things that kept him going sometimes and that you were _his_ hero. That you were better than he would ever be.”

Peter scoffed, his face heating up without his permission. “No, he didn’t.”

“Yes, he did!”

“Tony wouldn’t say that!” he denied, pulling away some to fidget with his shirt cuffs.

“I mean, it took a while for me to get him to admit how much you meant to him, but he definitely meant it.”

“He probably just said that to get you off his back about it!” Peter bent over and started picking up pieces of shattered plate, not asking why there were so many broken things strewn around the house. He knew why.

“Peter,” May sighed, bending down to help her nephew. “As much as you admire Tony, I don’t think you know him as well as you think you do.”

He said nothing, just finished picking up the plate shards and threw them in the trash. May asked if he wanted Thai to celebrate and he said yes.

 

He didn’t let himself believe what May had told him until he woke up screaming from a night terror. He waited until he was sure his aunt was still asleep before ripping off his sweat-soaked sheets and t-shirt. Peter lay there for a few moments, shaking. Then he remembered.

The airport in Germany. _“You’re going home, or I’ll call Aunt May!”_

The children’s playground. _“Just forget the flying vulture guy,_ please!”

Driving to the lab. _“Right, and you’re not stupid either, which helps.”_

The Accords sitting on Tony’s dining room table. _“Do you think you could drive over here?”_

The anniversary of Ben’s death. _“It’s okay, kid. I... It’s okay.”_

The return of half of the world. _“Are you okay?” “I am now, kid. I am now.”_

And it hit Peter all at once that May hadn’t been lying.

 _‘He said that he’d never be able to say this to your face because it would ruin his reputation, but you were one of the only things that kept him going sometimes and that you were_ his _hero.’_

And as Peter slowly drifted back into sleep, he smiled.

 

“What’s up, Pete? You’re very... happy this morning.”

Peter grinned at his aunt who’d made pancakes that actually tasted like she’d followed the recipe correctly. He shrugged. “I’m just... glad to be back.” Then he proceeded to shovel chocolate pancakes into his mouth so that he wouldn’t have to convince himself that was the reason.

 

“Ugh, I can’t believe we have to deal with _Parker_ again.”

Peter turned to Flash Thompson who was in the middle of an eye-roll. But Peter caught the small smile that he was trying to hide.

“Yeah, yeah. I missed you too Flash.”

He left Flash sputtering to run out of the Decathlon room and join Ned in the hallway along with MJ– who was hanging out with them now I guess? Ned probably didn’t have anyone to lean on when Peter died, and it wasn’t like _Peter_ minded.

Ned wasn’t paying Peter any attention, though.

“What?” he asked, frowning at his friend who was gaping at the end of the hallway

MJ smirked at him. “That your ride?” she asked, pointing to the glass doors that Ned was gawking at where just in view a bright orange Audi sat along the curb with none other than Tony Stark leaning against it with his arms crossed and a pair of those ridiculously expensive sunglasses perched on his nose.

“Holy crap is that Tony _Stark?!_ ” Flash must have followed him out of the room.

Peter laughed, beaming. “See you all later, guys. I have _interning_ to do.”

Seeing Flash’s baffled expression almost made dying worth it.

Just kidding.

Mostly.

“Be nice to me and I might take some of you with me!” he called over his shoulder, even though he knew he should probably ask Mr. Stark before making promises like that.

Tony’s grin almost matched Peter’s own in enthusiasm when he saw Peter open the doors and start trotting up to him.

“What’s the expression for, kid? You’re like... glowing.”

Peter laughed. “I could ask you the same question.”

Tony huffed out a laugh and ruffled Peter’s hair. “Get in the car, kid. We’ve got a drive ahead of us.”

“Where’s Happy?” Peter asked after he claimed shotgun and buckled his seatbelt.

“He’s on vacation,” Tony said, backing the car out of the parking lot and trying not to hit any of the kids gawking at his car.

“I didn’t know he got a vacation.”

Tony scoffed, turning onto the main road. “Neither did I.”

Peter just smiled.

“What? I can feel you smiling right now. A disturbance in the force and all that. What are you so happy about?”

Peter’s smile widened and he shrugged, trying to put what he was feeling into words. “I don't know, I’m just... glad to be home.”

Tony allowed his eyes to stray from the road ahead of him to look at his young protégé. A smile pulled at his lips. “Me too kid. Me too,”

 

Tony proceeded to pick Peter up from school the next Friday, telling him that he'd already texted May and she'd said it was okay. Peter shouldn't have been surprised, especially because of what his aunt had told him, but he was. Because even if Tony saw him as more than just an asset, was he planning on picking him up every single week? Or would he eventually get tired of Peter and stop showing up?

It took about twenty minutes of psyching himself up to ask, but eventually, Peter turned and said, “So, are you going to pick me up every Friday now?”

Tony contemplated this for a second. “Ah, no," Peter tried not to look too visibly disappointed, until: "Happy will be picking you up every Friday now. He gets back this weekend.”

Peter nodded slowly, relief catching his breath.

“I mean, do you not want me to pick you up? I can always let you tinker with the stuff you find dumpster diving if you want. That can be arranged.”

Peter shook his head quickly. “No, no, no, no that’s okay. I want you to.”

Tony smirked as he switched lanes. “I guess it’s not every day you get to ride in a car like this.”

Peter scoffed, not willing to look at his mentor, “That’s not the reason.”

“Sure, kid, sure.”

But Peter knew Tony's small smile was genuine.

 

A few weeks went by since Tony initially showed up at Peter's school, and he was worried about him. Sure, he seemed fine on the outside, but if anyone was an expert on faking 'okay-ness' it was Tony, and he didn't want his kid having to deal with that too. He found his mind wandering back to the kid in the worst times, distracting him from work, and building, and, every once in a while, Pepper.

Pepper looked at him from her spot leaning against him on the couch. “How’s Peter?” she asked as if reading his mind.

Tony sighed, shaking his head. “He claims the nightmares are getting better, but I just... I don’t know.”

Pepper pursed her lips, considering. “Why don’t you call him?” she said as if that were the easiest thing in the world.

Tony scoffed. “You know how he is. Always thinking every time I call because of a mission.”

Pepper reached up with one hand and drew her fingers through his hair, snuggling closer to him on the couch. “Maybe," she said, "It's because you never call." She waited for his response, but he didn't offer one. "Why don’t you change that?”

Tony glared at her, but there was no mirth to it. “He'll always think it’s for a mission.”

“He will if you never call him.”

Tony hesitated.

“We both know you're going to eventually, and I should probably be doing work right now. Go call him. It’s not like he’ll be disappointed that _Tony Stark_ just wants to talk.”

Tony barked out a laugh. “I think my celebrity status has lost a bit of its luster since I first meet him.”

Pepper leaned over and pressed her lips against his. She pulled away and stood. “Trust me when I say it hasn’t. It's your turn to pick the movie tonight?"

Tony sighed and picked up his phone from the coffee table, already scrolling through his contacts. “Oh, you're letting me pick this time? I'm honored.”

Pepper scoffed, and he waited until he couldn’t hear the click of her heels anymore before he pressed the call button.

Peter answered immediately.

“What is it, Mr. Stark? Is there a mission?”

Tony just rolled his eyes.

 

“So, _Tony Stark_ said he just wanted to talk?”

Peter shrugged, crashing onto his bunk and causing it to squeak like crazy. “I mean, we do 'just talk' a lot," he said, using finger quotations. "Just never over the phone.”

“You just casually talk with _Tony Stark_?! Your life is so awesome.” Ned shook his head dreamily at the ceiling from Peter’s desk chair.

Peter opened his mouth to remind Ned of the injuries and nightmares and trauma but stopped himself.

 _‘You were_ his _hero.’_

Maybe Ned was right.

His life _is_ so awesome.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, I took so long to post again.  
> Constructive criticism is always appreciated.  
> I'm not going to be finished with this series any time soon. :)


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